Baku, Feb. 10 (Petra) -- Azerbaijan is moving to expand cooperation with Jordan on urban planning and post-conflict reconstruction models, as it prepares to host a major global forum on sustainable cities later this year.

The push was outlined by Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, during talks with a Jordanian media delegation in Baku.

Guliyev invited Jordan to participate in the World Urban Forum (WUF13), scheduled to take place in Baku in May, describing Jordan’s experience in housing policy and urban resilience as relevant to discussions on cities affected by conflict and displacement. He noted that Jordan has participated in previous editions of the forum, most recently in Cairo.

Jordan is expected to present its national experience in housing provision and urban quality-of-life improvements, alongside policy approaches shaped by cooperation with international organizations and adapted for fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Organized by Azerbaijan in cooperation with UN-Habitat, the forum will focus on practical policy tools for urban governance, reconstruction, and infrastructure planning in cities emerging from conflict. Officials from Jordan and several European countries are expected to contribute to sessions examining fiscal, institutional, and planning challenges.

Guliyev said the forum’s agenda emphasizes implementation over declarations, including scalable housing solutions, sustainable reconstruction, and the use of advanced planning tools such as geographic information systems, smart mobility platforms, and digital infrastructure management.

He added that hosting the forum aligns with Azerbaijan’s own urban redevelopment drive, which includes rebuilding towns and villages, integrating green spaces, preserving cultural heritage, and applying smart-city standards as part of post-conflict recovery.

Baku, he said, is being positioned as a testing ground for these policies, with expanded pedestrian zones, cycling infrastructure, and low-emission public transport aimed at improving urban efficiency and livability.

//Petra// RZ